Page:Life·of·Seddon•James·Drummond•1907.pdf/292

 trouble and friction to pass the Shops and Shop-assistants Act than to pass any of the other dozen or so of labour statutes that were its contemporaries, including the famous Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. The opposition to the shopping law was largely political, which accounts for a great deal of its bitterness. He says that the party opposed to labour measures picked out this one as the most promising battle-ground, and it was not until after an infinite amount of wrangling, spread over five sessions, that the substance of the Bill was at last allowed to be enacted. It has been the subject of lawsuits, of innumerable public meetings, and of oceans of discussion.

In the first place, the Act puts a stop to the absurdity of shops remaining open to all hours of the night, keeping assistants tied to their work when they ought to be resting or taking recreation; but compulsory closing of shops at any hour is not insisted on unless under certain conditions, each trade being allowed to settle its closing hour by a vote of the majority of those engaged in the trade. Shop-assistants are not allowed to work more than fifty-two hours a week or more than nine hours a day, with some exceptions. All shops must be kept clean and must be well ventilated. A weekly half-holiday is compulsory, but each town may choose the day of the week to be set aside. Sitting accommodation must be provided for women, and there is a special clause in the Act stating that they must be allowed to avail themselves of the accommodation at reasonable intervals during the day. They are not to be dismissed, and their wages are not to be reduced, because they sit down, unless it is proved that they have done so to an unreasonable extent.

The employment of young people at very low rates of wages is guarded against by a provision that no one can work in a shop for less than 5s. a week for the first year, with an annual increase of 3s. a week until twenty years of age is reached. Overtime must be paid in all cases. The occupier of a shop is not allowed to receive a premium for the employment of an assistant.

Offices must be closed at 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 5 p.m. on other days. An office-assistant is not allowed to be employed in an office after half-an-hour after closing time, but